A modern court for petanque, the French game played with metal balls, is open to everyone in Bucha. It has three purpose-built lanes and is fully equipped for play and training.

Bucha City Council announced the news, describing the court as a hub for rehabilitation and leisure.

The council’s video shows the court and a training session in progress.

Where the court is and whose idea it was

The court is located among the pines in a park near the Bucha Sports Academy, at 8 Tiachivska Street. Back in September, an open training session was held here for war veterans and their families.

The owners of the Jul’s hospitality chain initiated the creation and fitting-out of the space. They made sure it would be comfortable and open to the whole community.

Local residents and athletes in our community asked for it, and I got curious about what kind of sport it was. It is used in the rehabilitation of service members, so my husband and I decided to help create a court like this as far as we could — a place where athletes could get together and stay active.

Yuliia Nichvolodaowner of the Jul’s hospitality chain

Nichvoloda said it is a fully inclusive space. Experts were brought in during construction to advise on making the court convenient for everyone.

How to join the training sessions

Instructors from the Kulmaister petanque club already hold free sessions here. Anyone can join by signing up in advance by phone at +380 50 368 33 49.

In the video, club president Serhii Svystunov invited newcomers to come to the court and get acquainted, promising that they would be given balls and taught to play. According to him, three Bucha residents recently joined the club.

Kulmaister is a petanque club from Irpin, founded in April 2025.

What is petanque?

According to the Ukrainian Petanque Federation, the modern game originated in 1907 in La Ciotat in the south of France. Standing inside a circle with both feet on the ground, players throw metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called the jack, or cochonnet.

[Petanque] does not require very heavy physical effort. All you need is concentration, respect and the desire to play.

Yevhen Rafalskyivice-president of the Ukrainian Petanque Federation

The city council stresses that the game has no age limits and develops concentration, coordination and tactical thinking. That is why petanque is well suited to recovery and rehabilitation.

“This is not just a court, it is a thing of beauty, built right in the park,” Rafalskyi said. He added that there are few courts like this in Kyiv region. The federation’s portal lists only three petanque clubs in the region: one in Vyshhorod and two in Irpin.

As a reminder, in July, the Ukrainian petanque championship for players aged 55 and over began in Irpin. Irpin fielded the largest team.

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